Malcolm Washington took his first official visit this weekend to Fresno State and ended up committing before returning home to Houston (Texas).

"I committed to Fresno State on Sunday," Washington said. "I told the coaches and they were really excited. It feels great."

The prospect from Elsik High School chose Fresno State over scholarship offers from Lamar, Prairie View and Boise State. He was also in contact with over a dozen other schools, including BCS schools like Colorado, Washington State, Iowa State and Illinois.

"When I was thinking of where I wanted to go to school, academics was the first priority," Washington said. "After that comes football and winning championships."

The Bulldogs see him making a big impact for them on the football field.

"They had told me I could probably come in my first year and help the team at defensive back," he said. "I wanted to go on a visit and see everything."

After he saw everything, Washington decided that Fresno State was the school for him.

"I really enjoyed it," Washington said. "The environment was great. I hadn't been California since I was young and I wanted to make sure I got to know the area and Fresno State. I wanted to make sure I felt comfortable and I did."

It isn't hard to feel comfortable in such a positive atmosphere.

"I noticed that everyone treats each other like family," he said. "They have a tight bond and everyone treats each other like brothers. I'm really comfortable with the coaching staff and the environment there."

Plus the Bulldogs had just capped off an incredible season.

"They won a championship," Washington said. "There was a great feeling in the stadium and around the team."

As for his plans until signing day, Washington might visit a few more campuses.

"I think I'm done with recruiting but my parents want me to think about taking some more visits," Washington said. "They know I'm going to Fresno State. I'm just thinking about other visits because it wouldn't hurt."

He doesn't have any other campus visits planned.

"I don't know where I'm going to visit yet," Washington said. "I had one visit planned to Boise State but I'm not going anymore. Coach Peterson and his recruiting coordinator are both at Washington now so there wouldn't be a point of going. They also talked about redshirting me, which I didn't really want to do."